Legislature(2021 - 2022)BARNES 124
04/04/2022 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Board of Nursing | |
| Alaska Labor Relations Agency | |
| Marijuana Control Board | |
| Alcoholic Beverage Control Board | |
| State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors | |
| HB312 | |
| HB108 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 404 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 312 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 108 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 108-CONCURRENT SECONDARY & TRADE SCHOOL
3:58:04 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced that the final order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 108, "An Act relating to concurrent vocational
education, training, and on-the-job trade experience programs
for students enrolled in public secondary schools; relating to
child labor; and providing for an effective date." [Before the
committee was CSHB 108(EDC).]
3:58:29 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 3:58 p.m. to 3:59 p.m.
3:59:09 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY, as prime sponsor, presented CSHB
108(EDC). He stated that Alaska has concurrent high school and
college enrollment where students get both high school and
college credit, but Alaska does not have the same opportunity
for students to get concurrent high school and trade training.
The bill would avail for master trades people to assist
secondary education programs using their skill sets in a trade
to train high school students so they can earn certification.
The bill would also avail the student to work not only for their
parents, but also extended family. The bill would further allow
the student to be in the workforce from age 16 rather than 17,
and the bill would allow them to work until 10:00 p.m., which
would be an extra hour of work each day. Alaska, he continued,
has a big need for a strong workforce and infrastructure money
is coming to the state. Employers need employees who are here
for the long term, and this tends to be residents of the state.
The bill would provide real life application to a student's high
school studies.
4:02:13 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced the committee would hear invited
testimony on CSHB 108(EDC).
4:02:31 PM
JAMIE BURGESS, Superintendent, Nome Public Schools, provided
invited testimony in support of CSHB 108(EDC). She stated that
the proposed bill would provide for students in all districts to
participate in high quality certified concurrent vocational
education in high school. It is the equivalent of providing
dual enrollment for college credit, she continued, and is
desperately needed in today's rapidly changing workplace. She
allowed that providing this program may provide challenges for
rural districts but stressed that it is these districts which
are in the greatest need of skilled individuals in the trades to
support their communities. In a rural community such as hers,
she related, electricians, construction workers, welders, boiler
technicians, plumbers, and other tradesmen must be brought in
from Anchorage or Fairbanks for projects or to service
residential needs due to the lack of skilled labor locally. Or,
if there are any local skilled companies or individuals, they
are often overwhelmed with work. The need is great and the
pipeline for new workers at the local level and rural areas is
down to a trickle or completely absent, she advised.
MS. BURGESS recognized that there is often a concern for how
small and rural districts will find a way to provide these types
of programs when there may be only a few or just a single
student interested in participating. There may also be a lack
of a qualified instructor as defined in the bill's language or
the inability to offer enough classes or practicum hours for a
few students to make an appropriate program a reality within a
small school setting. However, she explained, small rural
districts often collaborate amongst themselves with a larger
rural district or may partner with a road district to provide
programs and services to their students. The Department of
Education & Early Development (DEED) can function as a
centralized clearinghouse of information or a source of support
to connect districts through a career technical education (CTE)
department. Perkins grant funding, she noted, can potentially
be utilized to support these programs, as well as other grant
programs. Nome and Bering Strait School District have a joint
CTE program called [Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical
Center] (NACTEC) which utilizes an intensive two-week to three-
week residential program where students from a village school
fly into Nome to garner hours needed in a variety of programs
from health care to aviation to welding or construction. She
said CSHB 108(EDC) would allow students to have potentially
life-changing educational opportunities in high school and to be
better prepared for the rapidly evolving workforce in Alaska.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS [opened public testimony on HB 108].
4:06:33 PM
MAGGIE COTHRON, representing self, testified in support of HB
108. She stated that HB 108 would give students like her more
opportunities and would help students realize the importance of
their regular classes and learning lifelong skills. She related
that she had the wonderful opportunity to take a culinary class
during an after-school session at the King Career Center which
allows students to have a similar experience to what this bill
would do. She said it was incredible to be taught by someone so
knowledgeable and in the industry for years. She found that
culinary isn't for her, not because of the cooking but rather
the kitchen environment which is loud and fast paced and
requires good communication. She learned that she prefers to
take her time.
MS. COTHRON said that these are the types of experiences she
wants to go through because she, like others, doesn't know what
she wants to do after high school. These experiences, she
continued, provide hands-on experience and development of a
passion in a career that one would otherwise not have access to,
or be aware of, and this has a huge impact. Also, it prepares
students to have a successful future in often overlooked
industry in Alaska.
4:08:12 PM
DON ETHERIDGE, Lobbyist, Alaska AFL-CIO, Alaska Works
Partnership, Inc., testified that the Alaska AFL-CIO and the
Alaska Works Partnership, Inc. support HB 108. He said it is
important to start training youths at a younger age than has
been done and to get them into the trades because nowadays
[Alaska is] running short on trades people. It's a good idea to
give kids an example of what the trades look like, he continued,
and these programs provide help to kids who are still in school.
He said he knows of two kids who would never have graduated had
there not been programs such as the house building programs.
These programs give kids an idea of why they need to have math
and other skills. This bill will help the kids and give Alaska
future tradesmen, he added.
4:09:47 PM
JIM ANDERSON, Chief Finance Officer, Anchorage School District
(ASD), testified that the Anchorage School District supports HB
108 because it will help more students become career and life
ready immediately upon graduation. He said the bill would
strengthen the state's focus to provide high school students an
opportunity to receive industry standard training so they will
have viable skills for a trade and would further stress the
importance of partnerships with businesses in areas that may not
have state certified apprentice programs.
MR. ANDERSON related that for several years the ASD has
partnered with dozens of businesses and programs in nearly two
dozen distinct career fields, including art design, biomedical,
telecommunications, carpentry, welding, veterinary assistants.
Through these training and internship opportunities, he stated,
students develop skills that allow them to join the workforce
immediately upon graduation or shortly after. Participating
students receive course credit for their time, effort, and
acquisition of new skills. These partnerships, he noted, have
generally been available at little or no cost to the district as
it is a great opportunity for employers to build pipelines for
their future employees. While there are some transportation
costs for student travel to and from these opportunities, ASD
looks at that as a minor investment in helping these students
prepare to join the workforce.
MR. ANDERSON stated that in 2019 prior to the pandemic, ASD had
126 students participate in intern programs with its partners
and another 190 students participate in job shadowing. The
pandemic slowed down many of these opportunities, he said, but
ASD is rebuilding partnerships in the community and will meet
many of the needs and requirements stated in HB 108 because it
is an investment in those students who don't plan to go to
college as their career choice. He noted that HB 108 supports
one of the district's three board goals, which is to ensure that
students are life, college, and career ready upon graduation.
4:12:59 PM
PAUL GROSSI, Lobbyist, Ironworker Management Progressive Action
Cooperative Trust, testified that the Alaska Ironworkers Union
supports HB 108. He stated that the participants in this
program probably won't be able to get on-the-job sites at age 14
due to federal [law], but it will produce candidates for the
ironworkers at later dates. Students will be able to develop
skills that are transferable to the ironworkers as well as to
other trades. The most valuable transferable skill that this
will teach is development of a work ethic the ability to show
up every day for work, work the time they are supposed to be
there, and come back the next day.
4:14:50 PM
ADAM WHITE, Government Relations Spokesperson, Alaska Airmen's
Association, testified in support of HB 108. He said the
aviation industry supports these kinds of measures as there is a
shortage of workers to do the job. He noted that written
testimony has been provided by the "next gen group," a subset of
the Alaska Airmen's Association that is focusing on the younger
generation by working with school districts to get programs
going. He further noted that his association partners with the
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). He related that
prior to the COVID-19 pandemic which ruined plans, the Alaska
Airmen's Association had everything in place to start traveling
to rural school districts to show aviation curriculums and get
them going in the school districts. The number of people
testifying in support of the bill, he continued, shows that it
is a needed movement in the right direction.
4:16:25 PM
TOM GEORGE, Alaska Regional Manager, Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association (AOPA), testified in support of HB 108 and the
notion of concurrent vocational education and on-the-job trade
experience in public secondary schools. He said there is a dire
need for more pilots and mechanics and HB 108 would help provide
[students with] more opportunities in the classroom and on-the-
job exposure to this career. Aviation is a critical component
to the transportation system in Alaska, he noted, and training
pilots and mechanics who are already used to living in the state
has potential benefit for meeting the state's labor needs.
4:17:35 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS asked Ms. Deborah Riddle how this training would
look onsite for a school district where there is an
apprenticeship program or CTE program that wants to deliver
training in person in a school.
4:18:08 PM
DEBORAH RIDDLE, Division Operations Manager, Division of
Innovation and Education Excellence, Department of Education &
Early Development (DEED), explained that districts already have
these types of arrangements in place with industry partners
within their areas. The legislation would further define how
that relationship could be organized. It would help districts
organize the contract language memorandum of agreement that many
districts already have in place with industry partners within
their area to help them create programs that will provide the
workforce that that individual community might need.
4:19:16 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS invited Mr. Eugene Harnett to provide the
sectional analysis for CSHB 108(EDC).
4:19:26 PM
EUGENE HARNETT, Staff, Representative Ken McCarty, Alaska State
Legislature, said he would give the sectional analysis of CSHB
108(EDC) on behalf of Representative McCarty, prime sponsor of
the bill. [What Mr. Harnett read matches the original bill
sectional analysis available in the committee packet from the
bill hearing of the prior committee of referral, the House
Education Standing Committee, and it read as follows, original
punctuation provided]:
Section 1
AS 12.62.400 National criminal history record checks
for employment, licensing, and other noncriminal
justice purposes.
Adds an instructor of students in a concurrent trade,
vocational education, training, on-the-job training
experience or apprenticeship to the list of
individuals who must have a national criminal history
record check performed.
Section 2
AS 14.07.020 Duties of the Department
Adds to the duties of the Department of Education and
Early Development that they must provide schools and
districts with opportunities for students to
participate in concurrent vocational education,
training, and on-the-job trade experience programs to
students over 14 years of age enrolled in public
secondary schools.
Section 3
AS 14.35 Vocational Education
Adds six (6) new sections to AS 14.35
Article 2. Concurrent Vocational Education, Training,
and On-the-Job Trade Experience Programs.
Sec. 14.35.100. State policy.
New policy of the state to provide public secondary
school students over 14 years of age the opportunity
to participate in concurrent vocational education,
training, and on-the-job trade experience programs
from nonsectarian agencies providing industry-standard
instruction.
Sec. 14.35.105. Program contracts.
The Department of Education and Early Development
shall negotiate contracts with agencies providing
industry-standard instruction and certifications to
offer concurrent vocational education, training, and
on-the-job trade experience programs for students
enrolled in a public secondary school. The department
may establish minimum program eligibility standards.
Additionally, this section provides contract
guidelines and states that the Department of Education
and Early Development may not contract with a
sectarian agency.
Sec. 14.35.110. Program list.
Requires the Department of Education and Early
Development to annually compile, provide to school
districts and publish to the department's website a
list of concurrent vocational education, training, and
on-the-job trade experience programs that the
department contracts with. The department must also
identify any geographical attendance restrictions, and
program availability for each listed program.
Sec. 14.35.115. Student enrollment.
Requires that the Department of Education and Early
Development permit the enrollment of a student in a
contracted concurrent vocational education, training
or on-the-job trade experience program who is over the
age of 14 years of age, who is enrolled in a public
secondary school eligible for the program, and who
submits a timely application. If the number of
applicants for a program exceed capacity of the
program or age group, the department shall select
students by random drawing.
A secondary school shall pay the program tuition for
an enrolled student who participates in a contracted
concurrent vocational education program in accordance
with the terms of the contract.
Sec. 14.35.120. Individual learning plan.
Requires that the secondary school create an
individual learning plan for each student enrolled who
participates in a contracted vocational program in
collaboration with the student, parent or guardian of
the student, a school counselor and any other
individuals involved in the student's learning plan.
The individual learning plan must also provide for an
in-school and concurrent vocational education program
course of study appropriate for the student's age and
grade level consistent with state and district
standards, provide for an ongoing assessment plan that
includes industry-standard certification progress and
statewide assessments required for public schools
provide for monitoring of the student's work and
certification progress by the counselor assigned to
the student.
Sec. 14.35.125. Instructor certification.
Requires that an instructor of students in a
concurrent vocational education, training or on-the-
job trade experience program possess and valid
instructor certificate and an industry-standard master
skill certification or equivalent.
Requires the Department of Education and Early
Development to submit fingerprints and fees to the
Department of Public Safety for criminal justice
information and a national criminal history check.
The department may not issue an instructor certificate
to a person who has been convicted of a crime, or an
attempt, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit a
crime, involving a minor.
Section 4
AS 23.10.330 (a) Exempted Employment.
Amends the supervision requirement for an employed
minor on to include an adult, parent, sibling,
grandparent, aunt, or uncle.
Section 5
AS 23.10.332 Authorization of Children under 17 to
work.
Lowers the allowable employment age to 16 years old.
Section 6
AS 23.10.340 Employment of Children under 16.
Extends the hours of the day a minor may work to 10pm
but does not exceed 23 allowable work hours in a week.
Section 7
Effective Date
Provides for July 1, 2021 effective date.
[HB 108 was held over.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB0312A.PDF |
HEDC 3/11/2022 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 312 |
| HB 312 EED SSA 2.10.22.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2022 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 312 |
| HB 312 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2022 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 312 |
| HB 312 Supporting Document - Brookings.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2022 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 312 |
| HB 312 Supporting Document - Gaddy.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2022 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 312 |
| HB 312 Supporting Document - Glamour.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2022 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 312 |
| HB 312 support 031522.pdf |
HEDC 3/16/2022 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 312 |
| HB108 Sectional Analysis 03.31.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/9/2021 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 108 |
| HB108 letters of support 04.01.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/9/2021 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 108 |
| HB 108 Letters of Support 4.6.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/9/2021 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 108 |
| HB 108 Letters of Support 02.14.22.pdf |
HEDC 2/23/2022 3:30:00 PM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 108 |
| HB108-DOLWD-WH-02-20-22 Updated.pdf |
HEDC 2/23/2022 3:30:00 PM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 108 |
| FN HB108CS(EDC)-EED-SSA-3-17-22.pdf |
HEDC 3/23/2022 8:00:00 AM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 108 |
| HB 108 Sponsor Statement 03.09.21 2.pdf |
HL&C 3/28/2022 3:15:00 PM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 108 |
| HB 108 Workdraft CS EDU (adopted) 3.23.22.pdf |
HL&C 3/28/2022 3:15:00 PM HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HB 108 |
| Douglas Moore Application_Redacted.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Douglas Moore Resume.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Eliza Muse Application_Redacted.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Eliza Muse Resume.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Ely Cyrus Application_Redacted.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Ely Cyrus Cover Letter.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Janice Hill Application_Redacted.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Lena 2018 Resume_Redacted.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Lena Lafferty Application_Redacted.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Lena Lafferty_ 2022 Hearing letter of introduction_Redacted.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Paula Harrison_Redacted.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |
| Sterling Strait Board Application_Redacted.pdf |
HL&C 4/4/2022 3:15:00 PM |
HLAC Confirmations 2022 |